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Plane with 143 people aboard skids off runway into Florida river, no deaths reported

About 21 people were taken to area hospitals after the Boeing 737 slide into the St. John's River in Jacksonville. No critical injuries or deaths were reported, officials said.
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A jetliner slid off a runway and into a river in Florida's Jacksonville area Friday night, officials said.

The plane, a Boeing 737, was arriving from Cuba into Naval Air Station Jacksonville about 9:40 p.m. and crashed into the St. Johns River at the end of the runway, the station said.

The plane hit rough weather and slid off the runway, an aviation source told NBC News on Friday.

Mayor Lenny Curry said that all lives had been accounted for, NBC affiliate WTLV reported.

It was carrying 136 passengers and seven crew, according to the naval station.

Image: Boeing 737 Crash, Jacksonville
A commercial Boeing 737 crashed into St. John's River as it was attempting to land at Naval Air Station in Jacksonville on May 3, 2019.Jax Sheriff's Office

Tom Francis of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department said Friday night that 21 adults had been transported to area hospitals and that all were in good condition.

The plane was in shallow water and not submerged, according to the Associated Press.

The contract flight was headed from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to NAS Jacksonville.

Curry said rescue crews were trying to control jet fuel that spilled or leaked into the river.

Navy security and emergency response teams were at the scene and monitoring the situation, the Naval Station said.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said they have a team of "expertise in aircraft operations, structures, powerplants, human performance, weather, airports and other areas" on the scene.

A NTSB news conference is expected to take place later this afternoon.